My great grandfather, Hajee Abdul Sattar Sait with King Farukh of Egypt

Hajee AbdulSattarSait, seen here with King Farukh of Egypt, was my paternal grandmother’s own uncle. He was head of the family, when my grandmother’s father passed away. He served as Pakistan’s first Ambassador to Egypt and High Commissioner to Ceylon.

My grandfather, Mohammed Omer Sait Chinoy, who never gave up his Turkish Fez. He was earliest mentor. May Allah fill his grave with Light

My paternal grandfather, Mohammed Omer Sait Chinoy. He never gave up wearing the red Turkish cap. He was my earliest mentor. May Allah grant him a high station in Jannah

Noor Mohammed Khalid

Son of a Cutchi Memon trader from Bangalore, India.

Most Cutchi Memons originally hailed from a town called Bhuj in a region called Kutch, which is now located in the Western Indian state of Gujarat. Cutchi Memons are today spread across various continents and are known for their business acumen, as well as their social service activities.

Some of my forefathers settled in Kerala for trade. Among them, some married Mappila women. Mappila (or Moplah) were descendants of Arab traders who settled on the Kerala Coast. Hajee Abdul Sattar Sait was the most illustrious of my great-grandfathers. He was politically very active during the early independence struggle. Many credit him with the establishment of the Muslim League in Kerala. He had dedicated himself to other causes like educational upliftment of the Muslims of the region. His presidential address delivered in Bhatkal, in present-day Karnataka, during the First Session of  The Kanara Muslim Conference, June 1936, is available here. The  presidential address gives clear indications of the great man he was.  A year after India gained independence, he migrated to Pakistan. He was subsequently appointed ambassador to Egypt, and later, High Commissioner to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). I had the opportunity to spend quality time with him during his few visits to Bangalore. Kerala was always very dear to him.

Having spent a good part of my youth in my father’s footwear business, I gradually moved into the newly emerging field of Information Technology (IT). In 1984, along with a few like-minded friends, I founded an IT company called P.C. Services Pvt. Ltd (PCS). PCS focused on offering courses in computer programming for students. Alongside I started a store called Computer Shop in a prominent commercial location called Brigade Road. Micro Services was started by a few other friends who specialized in electronics and low-level software development. Micro Services, despite its ground-breaking products could not financially sustain itself.

In 1998, having sold Computer Shop to a former employee, and entrusting the management of PCS to my partner, I set sail to Riyadh,. Saudi Arabia, to take up a job in a prominent IT Company, as general manager of their Web Services department.

For nearly 33 years, I was passionately involved in Information Technology, mainly in the field of marketing, program and project management. My last assignment in Riyadh was to manage a multi-million dollar mission-critical, enterprise-class project in a leading Public Sector enterprise.

In January of 2018, I was finally able to realise my dream of rejoining the academic world and pursue studies in history and civilization.

In August 2021, I completed my Master’s Program in the department of History and Civilization in the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The subject of my research was “Indian Muslim Contributions to the Ottoman Caliphate and the Turkish Nation: 1874-1924”. InshaAllah, I will be commencing my PhD program in February 2022.

Interestingly, the world-wide Memon community gave generously to support the Turks in their darkest hours. I am hoping to highlight their contributions as well as those of my other compatriots, with the fond hope that this research will inspire contemporary Muslim minorities world over to emulate the spirit of sacrifice demonstrated by the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, and, on the other hand, let the new Turkish generation know of the debt they owe to the people of the Indian sub-continent.

Three of my daughters are married. One is still school-going. My son, who is the second oldest, works as a UX professional in a leading organization in Riyadh. My beloved wife, also a Cutchi Memon from Bangalore, is a home-maker and spends most of her time, apart from house-hold chores, to ensure the Quran she memorized remains afresh.

I can be contacted on khalidchinoy@gmail.com / WhatsApp: +60-169630581. My Malaysian contact number is +60-169630581

A more detailed profile, focused on my professional achievements can be found on LinkedIn.com. You can also find articles I have published, clips from an interview with Saudi TV, and presentations created by me  on LinkedIn.